We may be waiting until next March for the actual release, but PS4 owners have the opportunity to get a taster of the death to come. This morning Namco Bandai announced that they will be running Network Tests for Dark Souls III next month. Anyone can sign up for a chance to take part, with participants to be chosen via a lottery system, so there's no rush to sign-up, but you won't be able to put your name down until tomorrow afternoon.

The recent console versions of Shadow Warrior have stayed around about the £30 mark since its release, but this offer from The Game Collection is one of best we've seen so far. It beats the next cheapest offer by around £2 on both consoles.

Click the links to buy Shadow Warrior on PS4 / Xbox One for £24.85 from The Game Collection

Jon said that Shadow Warrior was "still as savagely brutal, tough, slick and satisfying as ever" in his review, as the fight against armies of demons is just as fun as it was in the original PC release. It's definitely worth a look if you haven't played it already, or if you don't have a PC capable of playing it (as well as the saving, as the PC version tends to be far cheaper these days.) Thanks to oUkTuRkEyIII @ HUKD for the heads-up!

Excuse my excitement, but Platformines has been on our radar for years. Halfway between Spelunky, Contra and Borderlands -- Borderconky, perhaps? -- this retro-themed platformer has been in development for an eternity, promising us seed-generated mines full of traps to overcome and enemies to blow up with enormous guns. Looting, shooting and exploration beckoned to us way down in the depths, and I've been beside myself with anticipation. We covered Platformines extensively since 2011 until it fell off the radar, only to be reborn and finally playable on Steam. I feel giddy and silly like a kid at Christmas.

Ooh, actually, Contralunkerlands might sound better.

The problem with excitement, though, is that it can lead to unrealistic expectations... and Platformines has a lot to live up to. Maybe a little too much as it turns out.

The Game Collection are currently selling Dark Souls II for less than £30 - dearer than its upcoming PC version, but a steal compared to normal console prices. Carl raved about From Software's latest effort in his review, describing it as "Self-Schadenfreude"... which I'm pretty sure is another way of saying "masochism." Either way, you know if you want it or not, and if you're prepared to die. Thanks to bigtasty @ HUKD!

Having been handed his ass rather spectacularly, Carl returns to where gravity bested him previously in an effort to learn what lies below. After that, he goes in search of adventures anew, but not before going toe-to-toe with an old foe - the mole-pig-things.

Fresh from finding out that gravity is still a cruel mistress, Carl returns to the keep in an effort to overcome the ambushes that had previously smited him. After that, he finally, FINALLY, figures out how to level up, before coming face to face with the first true boss of the game.

Carl bumps into Pate (aka Peter Serafinowicz) in today's episode, only to jump into not one, not two, but three separate ambushes. Does he make it out in one piece? Will he ever get an actual sword? The answers to those questions and more are lurking within today's video.

We're back with yet another instalment of Carl's adventures in Dark Souls II. Today's episode features Carl being reunited with a familiar face from the Network Test, helping out the Blacksmith in Majula, and getting to know one of the early bosses in the game - The Pursuer.

No-one can resist the call to arms. Eight long years have passed since the brave lads and lasses of the Earth Defense Force kicked the Ravagers off the planet in a deliciously silly battle royale, but now the ravening aliens are back for another round with some new toys, a massive fleet and more genetically modified killer insects the size of Transit vans. It's time we locked, loaded and deployed back into the fight to make a right royal mess of things.

Not so, because even the best part of a decade on, it's hard to find a game that does a better job of making you feel like you're in the middle of a massive alien invasion... and your own personal creature feature.

The Ultimate Ninja Storm series is arguably too good at capturing the spirit of Naruto Shippuden's long-running anime.

Superbly choreographed and memorable battles are bookended by countless hours of grinding exposition, usually involving two angsty youngsters growling intense monologue at each other for what feels like an eternity. All while the tone teeters uncomfortably between lighthearted fun and gritty emotional outpouring, as characters schizophrenically transform from happy-go-lucky kids into depressive angst merchants like flicking a light switch. There's a lot to love once the shuriken start flying (along with corpse puppets... and animated wood... and crazy magical eyeballs...), but you've got to put up with an awful lot of bumf to get to the good stuff.

I could equally be describing the anime or the games, and the clumsily-titled Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: Full Burst is no exception. The enormous campaign delivers a blow-by-blow playable recap of the Fourth Ninja War story arc featuring intense one-on-one battles, which in turn unlocks characters to use in freeplay. As always, the fighting mechanics are a cut above what you'd expect from a licensed tie in, but only hardened series fans will be able to wade through the storyline. And understand what all the jargon means. Be warned: if you don't know what a "Jinchūriki" or "Sharingan" are and why Sasuke Uchiha is on a bit of a downer, the rest of this review is better off skipped. It's not for you.

However, as effectively a 'complete' edition of a game that released last year, I'm not entirely sure who Full Burst is for. Swimsuit aficionados, probably.

Chances are you know whether you love or hate Dark Souls by now, but if you want to know what all the fuss is about and happen to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, you can download a copy for less than £4 on Xbox Live. Whether you find it a truly rewarding or utterly hateful experience comes down to your personal taste, but most of us enjoy it here in the office.

Dark Souls II is only two months away from its March 14th release, an event that's likely to split our readership and office straight down the middle. Some love the brutally tough yet rewarding experience (Carl and Chris), other hate it with a passion (Matt)- and yet others (weaselly noncommittal fence-sitters like myself) mumble things like "coherent art direction" and "fascinating concept" but can't bring themselves to like it as much as they think they ought to.

For those in the so very prepared to die again camp, though, a new trailer is cause for celebration. It's three minutes of lore-building, monster-revealing horror, time well spent if you're the slightest bit interested in Dark Souls II.

It's been a long road filled with death, more death, red phantoms dealing out death, and fat things with giant sickles that have a taste for slaughter, but we've finally reached the end of our dedicated episodes of Dealspwn Playthrough from Dark Souls II's Beta. In our final look at the recent Network Test, we change classes once again to show you the nimble Archer in action.

But during the recording of this video, Namco Bandai decided to put the game into High Difficulty mode, and push Carl to his limit. Can he get to the Skeleton Lord before the servers shut down with increasingly challenging enemies now in his way? You'll have to watch to find out.

We're back with more from the Network Test for Dark Souls II. In today's episode, Carl hops back onto his Warrior to take on the opponent that bested him in the previous Network Test - the shielded Red Phantom. Will he manage to best his ancient nemesis? Will he be cleaved in half by that ridiculously large sword? If he does survive, will he find anything new and exciting waiting for him? There's only one way to find out...

We're back with yet another look at Dark Souls II from the recent Network Test. In today's episode of Dealspwn Playthrough, Carl once again logs in on his Warrior to conquer a dark cave he previously didn't have the guts to go inside and face off against foes lurking in wait. After that, Carl has a quick hands-on with the Sorcerer class, firing off some spells and, yet again, comes face to face with a murderous invading player. Does he survive any of this? Find out by hitting the jump.

Thanks to an issue where US players were unable to connect during the previous test, we were given another chance to get hands-on with Dark Souls II a few weeks ago. As such, we continue our coverage as Carl shares his experiences from the latest Network Test from November 2013.

In today's episode, Carl switches classes from the Warrior to try out a new addition to the roster - the Dual Swordsman. Giving his first impressions on the all-out-attack melee specialist, see how he fairs against familiar foes (and a murderous invading player) after the jump.

With its sequel now just a few months away, this deal from ShopTo might be the perfect chance to brush up on your hollow-killing skills. Overall you can save yourself around £7 over the next cheapest listing.

Acting as a GOTY Edition of sorts, it contains a number of new additions that the console releases didn't initially include such as a new chapter, new enemies and bosses, new items and NPCs, and an online matchmaking system for both co-op and PvP modes. In other words, prepare for even more ways to die in this revision of one of the most divisive titles of recent years. Thanks to oUkTuRkEyIII @ HUKD!

The midweek sale on Steam sees a rather tempting bargain for Trion's transmedia online shooter. Overall you can save yourself over £3 compared to the next cheapest offer over at Gamersgate. You can make further savings if you have three other friends that would like to get involved by purchasing the 4-pack.

At this price, it's certainly worth forgiving the array of issues that plagued the game during its launch, and with more content to get through now it might surprise you how Defiance can steal away the hours despite its simplicity. Be sure to read our extensive review to learn more about it. Thanks to jaystan @ HUKD!

It may come as a surprise to some of you younger gaming ragamuffins out there, but despite my age, I missed the Pac-Man craze when it first came out by a good 5 to 10 years, and as such have never really grown up with it close to my heart. Sure I’ve played it through the years, but only fleetingly, and so I’m in probably quite a unique position as I write this review, that I won’t be weepy-eyed over hours spent in an arcade spending all my pocket money on the early 80s smash hit. Besides getting all soppy would undo all the hard work I‘ve done to build up this manly, butch guy image you all see me as here at Dealspwn, right?

Ahem. Moving on…

This latest iteration of the Pac-Man series is the tongue-twisting (and presumably Street Fighter-inspired) Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+. The game looks to build on the 2007 release, Pac-Man: Championship Edition. The ‘DX’ version came 3 years later on XBLA, and now Namco Bandai have released a DX+ version of the game – as the current definitive version. Still with me? Good, let’s go eat some ghosts.